Who Am I?
by StrikeLightning
Summary: Takeru and the gang have fulfilled their duty as protectors, but how will he cope when the only family he knows scatters across the globe leaving him to ponder on what it means to be Shiba Takeru? TakeruXMako


**Aloha my darling angels.**

**So this is not going to be like my usual work. It's going to be fluffy and sweet and I may in the future do my usual hardcore smut with Takeru, but for now, I'm not going to do that.**

**I will most likely do a TakeruXChiaki fic in the future. You know me ;)**

**This isn't focused too heavily the pairing, the pairing just happens to be extremely relevant to the theme of Takeru 'finding himself' **

**And it's TakeruXMako. Obviously.**

**WARNINGS FOR WHOLE FIC: Mild language, maybe, kisses here and there, mild violence.**

**DISCLAIMER: I tried to steal Samurai Sentai and basically I had hold of it in my hand and then boom. Out of nowhere. Kotoha took me down. I'm 5'8 come on that's embarrasing. Moral: I don't own Takeru Shiba or anyone else.**

* * *

The wind came toward him in a gust of sharp air, tickling his cheeks with frost.

Winter was unusually cold this time round.

Moving a single strand of dark, silky hair from his forehead, the young man stepped out, his bare feet hitting the soft snow beneath him. The man hissed slightly at the initial contact but soon grew accustomed to the feeling of numbness in his toes.

"You're going to catch a cold if you carry on standing there, Takeru."

The gentle voice came from behind, and Takeru felt a warmth spread in his chest as he turned around to face her – Shiraishi Mako.

Her long brown hair had uncharacteristically curled at the ends, which Takeru realised was due to the fact that it was damp. Of course. The smell of cherry blossoms rolled over him and he deduced that she must have come straight from the bath – he'd know the smell of her shampoo anywhere. She was wearing slender, burgundy jeans and a rose pink polo neck, wrapping in a dark brown shawl of wool. She looked warm (and that wasn't to do with temperature) and he gave her a small smile before her worried brown eyes drew him back into his home.

* * *

Once inside a pair of tiny hands grabbed his arm.

"Tono-sama!" exclaimed Kotoha, "You look freezing!"

"You shouldn't go outside in this weather without the proper clothing," scolded Ryunosuke.

"Yeah Takeru," taunted Chiaki playfully, "Don't go being naughty now."

Takeru shot Chiaki a glare, of which Chiaki and the others could tell, had no real malice behind it.

"Where's Genta?" inquired Takeru.

"Making sushi," said Mako lightly, "He wanted to make us all going away presents."

Takeru took the tea that Kotoha was offering him, and pursed his lips slightly. Yeah...

They were all leaving tomorrow.

_Don't mope about it, _he told himself firmly. But was he moping? I mean, these were his best friends after all. By tomorrow, Ryunosuke would be off living the elaborate life of a performer, and Takeru would miss his undying devotion. Kotoha would have returned to her life in Kyoto, taking care of her sister, perhaps too busy to ever visit him. Chiaki would have gone to college, to make new friends and have new experiences. Without him. Genta? Genta would be in Paris, cooking to his heart's delight, thousands of miles away.

Mako.

Hawaii.

_Hawaii._

Takeru couldn't blame them for going their own way. Their job as a samurai was done; they'd fulfilled their duty. It was only Takeru who really needed to continue their life of a warrior. It was only natural for the other's to want to pursue their dreams, and Takeru was infinitely happy for them, but...

He'd miss them. He'd gotten so used to seeing them day in day out that the primary annoyance of them had soon turned to acceptance and later affection. These were his family. He loved them profusely, and often wondered if he meant as much to them as they meant to him. Even if he didn't show it, even if they didn't even realise it.

He needed them a hell of a lot more than they needed him.

He still had unanswered questions to ask, and yet he didn't want the answers without them.

Of course, he wouldn't tell _them _any of this. He wasn't that desperate for them to stay, he was just... nostalgic.

"Tono?"

Hope surged in Takeru. He wouldn't be alone; he had Jii.

As the samurai turned to face his father-for-all-intents-and-purposes he noticed the remaining pang in his chest.

He would use his free time to find out more about his past, and he would do it with Jii by his side. However, there was something else bothering him, like a virus plaguing his body with an annoying fuzzy feeling.

And it flashed pink in his mind.

* * *

**If I'm doing something wrong, please correct me, for both our sakes.**

**I'm new to Shinkengers - in fact I only just finished watching the series yesterday. Still in that post-Shinkenger glow.**

**Review my beautiful darlings. You know... if you want to.**

**PS: For my regulars, if you're wondering why my language is so mild and I'm behaving it's because this isn't M-Rated like how I usually roll ;)**


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